


Where I Go to Keep Your Ghost Away

by silentwhisper002



Series: After The Storm [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, I wrote this instead of homework, No happy endings here bois, Wanda comes to terms with Vision’s Death, You might cry, based off an all time low song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26884825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentwhisper002/pseuds/silentwhisper002
Summary: Underneath the lights of a motorwayThat's where I go to keep your ghost awayWe used to be such a burning flameNow we're just smoke in the summer rainWanda tries to put the past behind her, but the past may be all she has leftTitle From: Last Young Renegade - All Time Low
Relationships: Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: After The Storm [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883713
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	Where I Go to Keep Your Ghost Away

Wanda shoved her hands farther into her pockets, her head ducked low. She could see her breath swirling around her in little puffs of frosted smoke. 

The streets were bare, most likely due to the bitter cold, making the lonely ache in her heart grow stronger. 

Clint had offered to come with her, but Wanda refused, knowing he had emotional burdens of his own to sort out, and certainly didn’t need to carry the weight of hers as well. 

But now, here in the silent snowfall, she sort of wished he had. 

With every step she took, it felt like she was being thrown a mile back into her own head. 

Wanda did her best to clear her mind as she made the final trek to her dreaded destination. 

She could feel the tears begin to gather in her eyes. 

They were supposed to come here together. Just the two of them. 

Vision had promised her, just a few days before her life had gone to shit, that one day they would see this landmark together. 

But alas, those plans had been thrown out, stored away in a dusty crate and shoved to the darkest corner of her mind. 

She stopped, staring up at the structure. 

The Eiffel Tower was monstrous, so much so that it was almost overwhelming. 

It’s bright lights cast a ominous glow over the city, forming dainty shadows in its wake. Just the sight took her breath away. 

He truly would have loved this. 

Wanda could feel the tug of her emotions beginning to creep back up, and she swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping it was enough to keep the memories at bay. 

After all, she’d come here to move on, to forget. 

“Are you lost, dear?”

Wanda jumped at the intrusion, too deep in her mind to notice the old woman that had sidled up next to her. 

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you were lost.”

Wanda had to squint in the twinkling bulbs to see her, but she was bundle in a large fur coat, a scarf wrapped around her neck, with a knitted hat hiding wiry strands of gray hair. Her warm brown eyes were friendly and kind, and they seemed to hold a silent question in their midst. 

“No, no. I’m not lost.”

“You lost someone then?” The woman pressed. 

Wanda’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

The old woman chuckled. “No one comes to the Eiffel Tower to be sad. They come to make memories, or to remember.” She added the last part tentatively. 

When Wanda didn’t answer, the woman took it as an invitation to continue. 

“I come here to remember too.”

They remained in frozen silence until the woman placed a weathered hand on Wanda’s wrist. 

“Come, let’s go up.”

Wanda followed, not having the heart to refuse her, and after all, hadn’t she just been wishing for the universe to spare some company?

“You don’t have to come with me, you know.” Wanda stated as they made their way towards the lift that would take them up. 

“It’s quite alright.” The woman patted Wanda’s hand. “Sometimes it’s easier to consult in a stranger. We’re less likely to judge, and more likely to try to understand.”

Wanda nodded, gripping onto the metal ledge as the Eiffel Tower’s lift ascended into the air. 

She could have easily flown the two of them up there, but there was something sort of liberating about an action that was so everyday, so human.

The pair remained quiet on the way up and Wanda was slightly jostled when they came to a stop. 

However, all discomfort flew through the window when she stepped out of the lift and her eyes landed on the vast open light-scape in front of her. 

“It’s beautiful.” She breathed. 

“It is.” The woman responded, her voice distant, lost in time, “Jerome took me here the night of our engagement.”

“Who’s Jerome?” Wanda inquired, turning her head to gaze down at her still unnamed companion, who happened to be a few inches shorter than she. 

“He was my husband.”

“What happened to him?”

“Sadly, he passed a few years ago. A heart condition took him.”

“I’m so sorry.” Wanda offered. 

The woman waved her off “Don’t be. He lived a good life. Life should be celebrated, not mourned.”

“I lost my Vis to-“ 

She stopped abruptly, thinking about how silly the word “titan” might sound to an old woman who probably didn’t know much of an Avenger’s lifestyle. 

“To war.” She finally managed to get out. 

The woman nodded “A brave soldier nonetheless, I bet?”

“Yes.” Wanda could feel the hot tears of agony brewing in the back of her throat again. 

“The bravest of them all. He...he died saving his friends.”

The words  _“I was the one who took him”_ were too close to falling from her lips, so she quickly closed her mouth, locking her thoughts away again. 

“It’s alright, darling.” The woman soothed. 

“It’s been five years, but it still hurts the same.”

The tears were flowing freely now.

“I knew from the moment I saw him, that he was it for me. There will never be anyone else.”

The elderly woman gestured to the night sky, the stars barely visible above the city lights. 

“Well, I’m sure he’d love to hear from you now.”

It took Wanda a moment to understand what the woman was insinuating. 

“Go on.” The stranger prodded. 

Wanda gave a small nod in response, stepping out onto the balcony. Her hands gripped the frosted metal, defying the chill that ran through her body. Glaring up at the sky, she allowed it all to come out. 

“I want to hate you,” she began, “I really do. But I know that I can’t. You were, dear God you still  _are_ , my everything, Vis. I just don’t understand why you couldn’t wait for Forever? Sometimes I wish I could give all this hero stuff up, just be selfish for once. Sometimes I wish we had never left that hotel room. You and me, we were all each other needed. You made me feel so alive, like I was on fire. Now, I’m just the lazy smoke of what once was. I love you, Vis. So why did you leave?”

Her voice broke on the last question, and she shattered completely. “I came here to keep your ghost away, but everywhere I turn, all I see is you.”

Wanda could hear the soft sound of her companion’s footsteps approaching in the background. 

A warm hand pressed firmly into the witch’s back, rubbing circles in a soothing manner. 

“There, there, child.” She whispered, “It never gets easier. Never in time. Trust me, I know.”

Wanda allowed herself to be taken into the old woman’s arms. 

Her heart would always beat for him, while his would beat no more. 


End file.
